title: Need to combine individual strategies with population-level strategies in the prevention of coronary heart disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this paper was to examine the relation between the distribution of risk, the distribution of coronary heart disease (CHD) events and the proportion who develop CHD according to risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  Baseline data from a cross-sectional study conducted in 1999-2001 comprising information on systolic blood pressure, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and a multifactor risk score, The Copenhagen Risk Score, were related to ten years of fatal and non-fatal events of CHD in 6,784 participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results were unambiguous regarding all three examined parameters. They showed that the majority of all fatal and non-fatal events of CHD occur within the large group of the population which is at low or no risk of CHD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The three determinants in relation to CHD events indicate that changing the risk of a whole population through widespread comprehensive societal policies may be more efficient than medical treatment and health counselling targeting persons already at high-risk, which will be of benefit for the individual persons only.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Funding was received from The Health Insurance Foundation (grant number 2010 B 131). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
authors.affiliation: Forskningscenter for Forebyggelse og Sundhed, Glostrup Hospital, Ndr. Ringvej 57, 2600 Glostrup, Denmark. johan.lerbech.vinther@regionh.dk.
authors.forename: Johan Lerbech
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vinther
authors.forename: Torben
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Borglykke
mesh_terms: D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018570:Risk Assessment